Benni McCarthy: Harambee Stars Boss Fires Warning to Rivals Ahead of CHAN 2024 Monday

March 31, 2025 at 7:34 AM by  Gedion Nzyoki 3 min read After leading Kenya in two 2026 World Cup qualifier matches, Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy is now focusing on the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) The tournament, which will be co-hosted by three East African nations, is scheduled to kick off in August this year Originally scheduled for the start of the year, the tournament has since been postponed to August by the organisers 

Lessons McCarthy gained from the two matches The South African international said that the recently concluded match under his leadership provided valuable lessons, and he is looking forward to making further improvements to the team. McCarthy shared that after three training sessions with the entire team, their playing style was clear. He believes that with further time, training, and scouting, the team can become very strong. 

"Having only three training sessions with the entire team, we’ve already seen how they play, which says a lot. I believe everyone should take note of the team we’re building. With more time, more sessions, and more scouting, we’re going to build something really special,"

 McCarthy said. With the World Cup qualifiers set to resume in September, the 47-year-old coach is now focusing on the CAF CHAN, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in August.

As per the CAF website, the coach mentioned he hasn’t been able to watch many local matches, as he was focused on World Cup qualifiers. However, he intends to visit different regions to scout players and hopes to set up small camps to start forming the team before August.

 “I haven’t had the chance to watch many local games because I had to focus immediately on the World Cup qualifiers. I’ve had to rely heavily on the local coaches. But now, with time until August, I plan to travel around the country to see as many players as possible. I also hope we can organize small camps with selected players to start building the team early,” the coach said.